The US vaccine Novavax could soon get approval in the EU. Many a skeptic is waiting for it, because it is a so-called dead vaccine.
Gaithersburg / USA – The corona pandemic continues to rage, meanwhile Germany, Austria and Switzerland are struggling with a loud opposition to vaccinations. Some skeptics argue that they should only be vaccinated if there is a dead vaccine * based on the classic procedure. This argument cannot be substantiated with facts, but some skeptics are no longer receptive to facts. Could the inactivated vaccine Novavax turn things around?
Why many are waiting for the dead vaccine
The Novavax vaccine is a so-called dead vaccine, which contains components of the novel coronavirus that have been killed for immunization. So far, only corona vaccines based on other methods have been approved in the European Union: The vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna based on the new mRNA technology and the vector vaccines from Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson. Novavax is therefore of interest to people who have reservations about immunization with mRNA vaccines or vector vaccines. But there’s another reason the Novavax could make a difference in fighting pandemics. Because Novavax – unlike the Biontech Pfizer vaccine, for example – can be stored at refrigerator temperature, the drug is considered a beacon of hope for poorer countries.
Novavax: When the vaccine could get approval
In November, Indonesia was the first country in the world to approve the inactivated vaccine Novavax, which was later approved in the Philippines. In mid-November, the US pharmaceutical company Novavax applied for marketing authorization in the European Union. At that time it was said that the decision would be announced in “a few weeks”. The manufacturer announced that its vaccine was 90 percent effective and 100 percent protected against moderate and severe disease.
At the beginning of August, the EU Commission signed a purchase agreement with Novavax on behalf of the member states for up to 100 million vaccine doses this year and next. The contract also includes an option for 100 million more vaccine doses in 2021, 2022 and 2023. The German Ministry of Health is already planning the vaccine for next year. That could be good news, because the manufacturer himself states that it is already adapting its vaccine to the new Omikron variant. The pharmaceutical company has also applied for approval in Canada, Australia, Singapore, Great Britain and New Zealand.
Novavax wants to fix production problems with a new collaboration
Actually, Novavax wanted to go much further: The pharmaceutical company had planned to deliver several billion doses of the vaccine against Covid-19 in 2021. But production problems thwarted the company’s plans. The pharmaceutical giant has already received 1.6 billion dollars in subsidies from the US government, but Novavax has repeatedly had difficulties complying with quality standards such as Forbes reported. A shortage of raw materials also influenced production.
In November, Novavax boss Stanley Erck said in an interview with CNN, The company would shortly forward the complete data for an emergency approval to the US American FDA. As soon as he gets the green light from the FDA, the first 100 million cans would be ready for shipping, the Novavax CEO added. But approval is only available for corporations that can deliver their funds without restrictions. According to its own information, the company wants to be able to manufacture more than two billion vaccine doses in 2022. After all, Novavax now has a strong partner by its side: One According to the company’s press release the pharmaceutical company now has the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer on board with Serum Institut of India.
* As Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach recently made clear via Twitter, the Novavax vaccine is not a dead vaccine. As the company also states on its website, Novavax is a protein vaccine.(afp / bm)
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